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A'VNDREW oARsoN, oF MEMPHIs, TENNEssEE. Letters Patent' No. 66,933,daterl July 16', 1867.

IMPROVED AUTOMATIC LIFE-.PRESERVING BOAT.

'ro ALLWHOM IT'MAY CONGERN;

'Be it known that I, ANDREW CARsoN, of Memphis, in the county of Shelby,and State of Tennessee, have. invented a new and useful Improvement inAutomatic Life-Preservers; and I'do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exaet description of the some, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, in which-.- I

Figure -1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a portion of a vesselshowing the operation of my invention.

Figurc 2 is a vertical transversc section of the same.

Figure 3 exhibits a sunken steamboat, with cabins, &c., detached andfloating.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the latch by which the removableparts are secured.

My invention relates to the construction of'vessels', with cabins, &c.',built separate and detachable, so that when from any cause the vesselsinks, the cabins, 87o., may be detached' and continue to float With thepassengers and valuable property; and it consists in devices adaptedanddesigned to cause said det'achment of theV cabins, boats, Sic., to beautomatic when the water enters the hull or lower part of the vessel.

That others may understand the construction and operation Aof myinvention, I will particularly describe it.

As vessels are commonly built there is no part designed to be detachedin case of -accidents which may result in the loss of the vessel itself.The beats which are commonlycarricd for use in such emergencies areusually lashed fast to the guard, and can only be liberated by cuttingthe lashings, and the articles known 'as life-preservers when suppliedin sufiicient quantities are onlyinstrumental in preservinglife. Myinvention is in the construction of the vessel with `'such portions ofthe upper works as may be built separate, and only attached to the hullor body of the vessel itself by iastenings, which shall becomeautomatically detached upon the occurrence of an accident which willcause the vessel to siuk. Those portions of the upper works may be theupper cabins, oiiices, &(2.; in which are contained the passengers,.their baggage,'and the valuable papers and property in charge of theofficers of the boat. The life-beats carried upon the guards of steamersmay also be secured by the same means and become detachcd at the sametime This invention'is particularly applicable to steamboats plyingupon'inland Waters, as upon the Mississippi and its tributaries, 4wherethousands of lives .have been lost and millions of dollars in money andvaluable property sacrificed because of no similar provision having beenmade to guard against the dangers of a sinking vessel. In constructingthe cabins, ofiices, -&c., for use in the Way proposed, their doorsshouldbe made hollow or in such a manner as to serve as reliable floatsable to susta-n the ca'bins and their contents.. These floats may becoustructed in any'of the various methods well understood by artisansskilled in the art. They should be fitted to the framework of the boat,but only attached by latches of some kind which may be automaticallywithdrawn.v Ifdeemed advantageous the cabins may be constructed inseveral sections, so that when detached they ma v float independently ofeach other. v

I will now describe an eflicient device for carrying my invention intopractical operation: Inthe hold, or beneath the Iguard, or in anyconvenient 'portion of the vessel which is below the cabins to bedetached, I place a fioat, A, located within an enclosure, B, which willprevent the access of any obstructing matter whatever. This enclosuremust be open at its bottom so as t permit free access of the water whenthe vessel is sinking, so that the said float will certainly be raisedup when the water enters the vessel. Projecting above the top of thefloat A is' the post C, and pivoted to the-top of the post C are arms,D, as many as may bo required. At the ends of said 'arms D are placedsliding bolts, H, or latches of some other suitablc construction whichhold firmly in place the detachable cabins E F, boats' G G, &c. Whenwater enters the hold of the vessel, or reaches that portion Where thefioats are located, they are raised up, and the elevation of the arms Dcauses the bolts or other-fastenings to be withdrawn, as clearly shownin the figures, leaving the cabins, free to rise andfloat clear of thewreck when the water reaches their floors. Itis evident that the ingressof water when a vessel is sinkingfimay be caused to operate devices inmany diiferent ways, the applied force being due to the gravita- .tionof the water, and this may be exerted beneath a float to raise the sameIupon the top of a piston to dcpress fait, or in any direction whatever,the result to be obtained being the withdrawal of latches or fasteningsof any sort which may be employed to secure the cabins, &c., to theframework of the vessel. It may sometimes happen that rit will beadvisable to detach the life-beats or other portions which are securedin the mannerabove set fortb, where there is no ingress of water toraise'the float, For this purpose I attach lever or 'other device byWhich the latches may be fivthdrawn by hand or the application of powerother than that of Wateviz, manual power, steam power, Ste., directed bythe will of the commander. I have shown in fig. 2 a simple lever appliedso that the fioat itself may be raised-Withinl its enclosnre and the iatches withdrawn, but the same may be aocomplished in many differentways. A suitable looking device is alsoshown, by which When the leverhas been depressed it may be so retained, and the latches continue to bewithdrawn as longas desired. The necessity fox` such withdrawal of thelatches may arise whenthe boat is on fire and the boats alone ca n bedetached.

Having described my i-nvention, What I claim as new, and'desire toseeure by. Letters Patent, is'- Constructing vessels With cabins,- &(1.,construcerl separate from the hull or framework of the vessel, and manedetachable by devices operated automatically by the ingress of Waterinto the body of the vessel, substantially as specified.

In comblnation With the float A, the arms D, and latches H, or theinequivalent, fox: the purpose set forth.

ANDREW CARSON.

Witnesses:

R. D. O. SMITH, Cnns. H. PooLE.

